Ancient Chinese curse: may you live in interesting times. This web site is my attempt to document, from my perspective, these "interesting times".

Wednesday, January 29, 2003

This is to good not to steal (thanks to the Horse). The following is a letter written to Andrew Sullivan:

Since breezy theories are all the rage among the punditocracy these days (your slap at the "intelligentsia" is amusing, given that almost all political and media elites throw themselves at Bush's feet) try this on for size: Those who support Bush, who cram their theories to fit a man of his stature, are simply afraid to admit to any flaw in him because it will bring the whole house of cards tumbling down. So you invent a jut-jawed man of action, determined and resolute with a clear vision of world harmony. But the whispering in your head won't stop: he's a vile and craven little momma's boy, a snooty insider trader and coward who deserted his National Guard post while the great unwashed were still dying in Vietnam, and who rushed off to save his candy ass on September 11 and invented a lie about Air Force one being a target while the great unwashed were once again dying under the rubble. But you're too damned afraid to admit it. Sick of it? Too bad.

This is not a new phenomena. The same forces were at work during the Clinton years. Not every journalist who went after the guy was a Republican shill, just as not every journalist who sings the praises of Bush is a GOP plant. But, once they started down a path of presuming that the initial spin (Clinton did something wrong, Bush is a natural born leader) they were forced to continue down that path lest they had to admit that their initial assessment was wrong.
Pundits never admit they are wrong. At least not if they want to keep being called back to be on the air.
Read the horse for more astute commentary on this.